The outstanding moment of the holidays? Well, that depends. However, seeing again - this time in a gallery context - these 'detourned' books by Danielle-Marie Chanut was something special. France's answer to Joseph Cornell? Well, when I spoke to her some six years ago in her dingy 'shop' in Noyers, she denied knowing of his existence. It's possible - after all, the Brothers Quay discovered Jan Svankmajer well into their career.
Who cares? It's terrific work.
If you're in Auxerre, go and visit the exhibition:
http://www.auxerre.com/fr/rubriques-racines/evenements/couleurs-de-l-ete/expositions/index.html
3 comments:
Hi Jonathan,
Here is the website about that artist I told you about, Zush Evru
www.evru.org
See you soon
David
JET
The Firminists sont ici: http://firminists.blogspot.com/
Keep you posted...
I saw an exhibition of hers last year and the one in Noyers this year (last week). It was great.
Everyone does think of Cornell (in a kind of inverted way). And perhaps 'deny' is too strong a word to describe her saying she did not know of his work. Makes it sound like an accusation. In any case Cornell's sensibility is now a part of our visual and artistic culture.
And art builds on art. What Newton (?) said about standing on the shoulders of giants applies to art as well as science.
Her work is fresh, original, remarkably intense, and very complex and intricate. You have much more of a sense of entering a world than with Cornell and the fact that that world is at the same time the world of a book makes it richer and stranger. Some pieces are incredibly powerful.
PS they are pretty inexpensive too. But all the pieces I liked the best were already sold. Anyway, I sure liked the show. And the Museum is small but very interesting too.
Eric Batt
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